Clean Food Find: Hot Sauce

Our family went out to lunch on Mother's Day to a Mexican restaurant. We were six days in to our Whole30 so we tried to choose as Whole30 compliant foods as possible. My husband chose fajitas which came with a side salad. We didn't have the forethought to bring our own Whole30 compliant dressing with us at this point, so my husband reached for a bottle of hot sauce. (He really likes spicy hot food!) Before he can open the bottle, I ask, "Is it clean?" He reads the back label out loud and when he gets to the words that are hard to pronounce, I shake my head. He puts the bottle back and scowls at me. "But what am I supposed to put on this salad? It's not much, just a little bit."  I replied, "Well if we're not going to follow the Whole30 rules, then I'm having a beer." One further scowl and then he put salt and pepper on the salad. I think he tried to make an honest effort not to scowl at me further because it was Mother's Day after all.

While putting hot sauce on a salad is not something I would ever do, I do have sympathy for his plight. So it made my day when I found a bottle of Whole30 compliant hot sauce at O'Brien's Market on Dale and Pelandale in Modesto. Made by Arizona Pepper's Organic Harvest Foods, the ingredients are: organic red ripened jalapeno peppers, organic ripened habenero peppers, organic vinegar, sea salt, organic apple cider vinegar. 

I hope this makes his day too!

Calling all chicken nugget fans! Try this healthy version from Unbound Wellness

Need a fairly quick Whole30 compliant recipe for dinner? Sweet Potato Chicken Poppers were a hit in my household! Quick to make and with just a few ingredients. My son says they're a 10 out of 10!

Served it up with Whole30 approved Ranch Dressing (Primal Kitchen's Ranch & Hilary's Ranch Chia). Oh and the Whole30 Tangy bar-b-cue sauce pg 322 of the Whole30 Book.

Everything purchased for this meal was obtained at Sprouts in Modesto. Enjoy!

My Memory Shakes

A few years ago, I saw a TV show about people who compete in memory contests. To prep for the contest, a participant drank blueberry extract and claimed this improved his memory. I found blueberry extract in a local health food store, but to be honest, it was pretty blah. I don't think I drank more than two bottles.

But I never forgot (haha!) that young man on the TV show with the amazing memory. I wanted to learn more about how blueberries help memory and in just googling the simple term "blueberries memory" the first hit was on a scientific study which is free access (some you have to pay to access) "Blueberry Supplementation Improves Memory in Older Adults". The median age in the study was 76 and not only did the study subjects experience an improvement in their memory, but the blueberries also seemed to lessen depression. 

I decided to improve a way to ingest this blah-tasting juice and keep it clean. I came up with what I call "Memory Shakes". I buy organic blueberries at either Food Maxx, or when it's open and has blueberries, at the Modesto Certified Farmer's Market. I wash the blueberries and then freeze them. The juice is $4.99 at Sprouts and is R.W. Knudsen's brand "Just Blueberry". The banana provides the sweetness for the shake, but if you need it sweeter, I'd recommend adding a little agave nectar. (But agave is not considered "clean eating" so perhaps try adding a really ripe banana before you try agave.)

Memory Shake
Fill 1/8 of a blender with crushed ice
Add one peeled banana
Add a handful of frozen blueberries
Add about 1 cup of "Just Blueberry" juice
Pour in unsweetened almond milk to desired consistency
(If you wish the shake to be thicker, add more ice)
And if you'd like to satiate your appetite add a tsp or 2 of pectin 

Great grapes!

One of my favorite clean snacks are frozen grapes. I purchased these beauties at the

Modesto Certified Farmer's Market for $2 per pound at J&J Ramos Farms stand. Wash them in a colander, dry them individually (so they won't stick together when frozen), place in ziplock bag and freeze. A delicious and filling snack, especially on a hot summer day. Very similar to eating a popsicle.

Some tips:

- Use only the seedless variety. I've tried the ones with seeds and it's a hassle to pick the seeds out.

- Never share grapes with your dog - grapes are toxic to dogs.

- See this website for more info on frozen grapes.

About those smoothies...

When it comes to smoothies, Whole 30 says, "We'd rather you didn't". While smoothies are technically Whole 30 compliant, they detail several reasons why they discourage smoothies (page 72).

The first reason given is that when we drink food, it sends a different signal to the brain than when we chew our food. When we drink our meal, our body may not realize we've eaten and hunger is not satiated. To counter this effect, I add two teaspoons of pectin to my smoothies. (If the smoothie is only for me, I add only one teaspoon). Why pectin? Pectin is used in canning fruits and is derived from citrus so it's all natural. The U.S. Army conducted a study and found that adding pectin to orange juice helped to satiate soldier's appetites. It didn't make a difference on how much pectin was added; one teaspoon per adult worked. NOTE: Do NOT add pectin to plain water to drink. Straight pectin is nasty! But I still use pectin when I'm not on Whole 30 too. I've even added it to margaritas and found I graze less when I do! I buy Ball's powdered pectin at Food Maxx for $4.84.

Additionally, I don't overdo it when I make smoothies on Whole 30. I usually make small ones that I use as a "dessert" so am drinking them with food; not as a meal replacement. Here are the three very easy smoothies I make and all you have to do is throw these items in a blender:

Traditional Smoothie

Banana, handful of frozen strawberries, and almond milk.

Razzmatazz Smoothie

This one tastes like Jamba Juice's drink "Razzmatazz" - banana, handful of strawberries, crushed ice, and pure 100% orange juice (pictured left).

Memory Smoothie

I once watched a documentary about people who enter memory competitions and they drink blueberry extract concentrate to enhance their memory. Scientific studies have found that blueberries can inhibit neurodegeneration to forestall Alzheimer's, etc. - banana, organic blueberries (Food Maxx or at farmer's market), crushed ice, blueberry concentrate (at Sprouts) almond milk.

So when eating clean, just don't overdo it on the smoothies. Try not to use them as a meal replacement and don't drink them all the time. 

Whole 30 is fab...but...

...as the book readily acknowledges, Whole 30 is HARD!!! Having done Whole 30 twice now successfully, we've recommended it countless times to friends and family. Some have tried it and failed, some don't want to try it the minute they hear they can't have soda, etc. etc.  

But for those of you that are trying it and want to stay on the bandwagon as much as possible, we have some shortcuts to make it a little easier on you to successfully complete a Whole 30.

I first heard of Whole 30 on "The Dr. Oz Show" and then from friends in my BUNKO group who tried it. My BUNKO friends are GODSENDS with their knowledge and recommendations. 

Google is your Whole 30 BFF! There's plenty of clean "Whole 30 compliant" recipes you can try but let's begin with one of our favorites from Stupid Easy Paleo (click the link):

PALEO CHICK-FIL-A RECIPE

Personally, I'm not a big fan of pickles and this recipe does make the chicken have a pickle flavor to it. The second time I tried it, I used salt water to brine the chicken. Perfect!

(And Sprouts carries Arrowroot flour, but before I found it there, I used a finely ground almond flour from the Blue Diamond Almond Growers Store in Salida, CA.)